Correct as at 4 November 2026.
Retail sales volumes in Great Britain fell 0.4% in September but rose 0.7% in the three months to September against the three months to June.
Did retail sales rise or fall in September?
Volumes fell 0.4% on the month, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said on 23 October. Volume means the quantity of goods bought, so it strips out the effect of price changes.
That followed a 0.7% rise in August, which the ONS revised up from 0.5%. July’s fall was also revised up, to 0.4% from 0.5%.
Over the three months to September, volumes rose 0.7% on the three months to June and 1.5% on the same period a year earlier. September alone was 0.8% higher than September 2025.
The earlier estimate for the three months to August showed a 0.9% rise on the previous three months and 2.4% on a year earlier. The year-on-year growth rate has slowed in the latest reading.
Which types of shop drove the change?
Food stores and fuel pushed the quarter up, while clothing and hardware pulled September down.
Food stores rose on the quarter because supermarkets sold more in July and August. Supermarket volumes in September fell to slightly below June’s level, partly because clothing sales were lower than usual.
Retailers selling alcohol and beverages reported high volumes from June to September, which they attributed to promotions, the warm weather and the World Cup.
Fuel volumes fell in April as motorists made fewer journeys and delayed filling their tanks while prices rose. All three months of the latest quarter were higher than all three months of the previous one.
Automotive fuel rose on the month in September despite prices continuing to climb, after a fall in August.
In the earlier estimate, the ONS said many retailers reported that a rise in fuel volumes in March 2026 came from motorists stocking up because of the conflict in the Middle East.
Non-food stores, the total of department, clothing, household and other non-food stores, fell 0.4% on the month. Clothing and footwear stores and sports equipment stores fell, which retailers attributed to lower footfall and customers cutting back.
Household goods stores also fell, largely because of hardware retailers. Mail order sales dropped as online clothing retailers said autumn and winter ranges sold poorly in warmer weather. The Met Office reported the joint-fourth warmest September on record.
How much is bought online?
About 28.8% of sales, down from 28.9% in August.
Online sales values, which measure money spent rather than quantity, fell 0.4% on the month after a 3.0% rise in August. They were still 6.8% higher than in September 2025.
Over the quarter, online spending values fell 0.1% on the previous three months but rose 7.4% on a year earlier. The first estimate for the three months to August had shown a 10.1% annual rise.
The share moved because total spend, in-store and online combined, rose 0.3% on the month while online values fell. Values and volumes can diverge, because values include price changes and volumes do not.
How reliable are the figures?
They are estimates, and revisions occur.
The August example shows the scale: the first estimate of a 0.5% rise became 0.7%. Online values for August went from a 2.5% first estimate to 3.0%.
The ONS said the survey response rate for September was 59.1%, 0.3 percentage points below the average of the past 12 months. Those responses covered 92.4% of turnover in the sample.
The data come from about 5,000 retailers across Great Britain, according to the ONS methodology note. That is 2.5% of an estimated 200,000 retailers by number, but about 75.7% of known turnover. The figures cover Great Britain only, and Northern Ireland is published separately.
The ONS notes that the monthly path shows more volatility than the smoother three-month series.
In the earlier estimate, total sales volumes in August were at their second highest level since April 2022, just below June 2026.
The statistics are accredited official statistics, independently reviewed by the Office for Statistics Regulation. The next release, covering October, is due on 20 November 2026.
